The present invention relates generally to an inclinable bed frame and, more particularly, to a tilting apparatus for elevating a bed frame between a horizontal position and an inclined position.
It is often advantageous to incline one end of a bed. For example, an individual may be temporarily relieved from pain and other symptoms caused by digestive disorders such as gastro-esophageal reflux and heartburn by maintaining the head slightly above the rest of the body while sleeping or lying down. An individual may also find it desirable to be inclined when reading, writing or watching television in bed. This may be particularly true of business people and other travelers staying in hotels while away from home.
Numerous methods have been employed to incline a bed frame. Books or bricks can be placed under the legs or supports of the bed frame. This method is often tedious and may require the assistance of another person. This method may also be aesthetically unpleasing. Further, using bricks or books as an elevation device restricts movement of the bed should it be desired to re-position the bed to another location. Using bricks and books may also result in an unstable frame position thereby exposing a person resting on the bed to injury. Additionally, to raise or lower the frame one may be required to exit the bed, which may not be possible given the infirmity of the individual.
Other methods and systems have been developed to incline a bed frame and typically include the use of actuators coupled to various types of support systems. Using actuators to assist in raising one end of the bed helps remove the patient from the physical labor of raising one end of the bed manually. However, many of these methods create structures that are often large in size or complicated to use and may require the use of a specialized bed frame. Furthermore, many of these methods leave the tilting mechanisms exposed where damage to fingers or other objects may result as the bed is being raised or lowered.
Other solutions include an integrated bed frame and bed that is designed to incline at one or more points between the head and foot ends of the bed. This solution, however, requires a specialized bed and frame and may be cost prohibitive to some individuals and especially lodging chains that must equip dozens, if not hundreds, of bedrooms with one or more beds.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method capable of tilting one end of a conventional bed frame so as to incline a conventional bed. It would be further desirable to have a tilting apparatus that may be used to retrofit an existing bed frame to be inclinable.